Abstract
The aim of this study is to discuss digital marketing applications in event tourism with conceptual developments, to present examples of digital marketing applications in event tourism, and to explain the principles of these two disciplines in a clear and interrelated manner for students and marketing experts. Prepared in the light of academic resources and contemporary marketing practices, in this chapter, the conceptual developments in the field as well as the change in event tourism are comprehensively discussed, and applications with digital infrastructure in event tourism have been explained, and event management and the integration of events on social media have been comprehensively discussed.
TopBackground
The Concept of Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is also referred to as “online marketing”, “internet marketing” or “web marketing” in the literature. Although the term digital marketing has gained popularity over time, the term “online marketing” appears to be more widely used in the United States, and similarly the term “web marketing” is more commonly used in Italy (Kaur & Sandhu, 2017; Erdoğan, 2020). While digital marketing can be described as the individualized format of mass marketing, it is actually the realization of traditional marketing mix elements in digital channels in a personalized way (Piñeiro-Otero & Martínez-Rolán, 2016). It provides unlimited possibilities and opportunities to personalize content. It is a user-focused marketing method where the interaction between producers and consumers is continuous and does not know any bounds in the spatial sense (Erdoğan, 2020). In a world that is increasingly online, producers can find unique possibilities with digital marketing opportunities. In digital marketing, there is a more flexible and adaptable marketing approach that combines all the online and offline activities of the producer, emphasizing the authentic values of the product. With the digital marketing opportunities, the 4P of marketing (product, price, promotion, place) has evolved into 5A (ask, advise, assess, assist and arrange) (Kurum, 2020). These digital marketing opportunities have some advantages including (Krishnan, 2019):
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Being cost-efficient,
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Being able to produce fast, reliable and traditional strategies,
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Increasing access opportunities,
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Providing high income for producers,
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A higher return on investment,
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Interactive communication with consumers,
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Allowing data analysis and being measurable,
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Increased consumer awareness.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Experience, Review, and Voting Platforms: In tourism marketing, reputation management, experience evaluation and price comparison websites such as HolidayCheck, TripAdvisor, Review Center, Triphub, Holiday Watchdog and Zoover are also used as social media.
Location-Based Platforms: These applications facilitate access to instant information about events happening in the environment and provide location information through social networking websites. The most frequently used location-based service example is the Foursquare application.
Wikis: They are websites that allow all users to create a common database where they can add or edit information on various topics. The most important example is Wikipedia.
Microblogs: They allow users to share minimum amount of content (sentences, photos, videos) online. Twitter and Instagram are the most commonly used examples.
Social Networks: These websites allow users to create personal web pages and then connect with other people to share content and communicate with each other.
Forums: They are online discussion areas and communities where users can exchange ideas about specific topics or interests.
Blogs: They are online environments where the most up-to-date information is shared. They are online publications where individuals or institutions share their thoughts.
Content Sharing Communities: They are communities that organize and share specific types of content. The most popular content communities include Flickr on photography and YouTube on videos.